Fence attachment device

ABSTRACT

A fence attachment that may resemble a miniature fence. The fence attachment may attach to an existing fence and may reduce the space between the pickets of the existing fence. The fence attachment may include at least one rail and a plurality of pickets attached to the at least one rail. The plurality of pickets of the fence attachment may be oriented in between the pickets of the existing fence and the fence attachment may be attached to the existing fence.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fence attachment device and, moreparticularly, to a fence attachment device that prevents small animalsfrom passing through the fence.

A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or preventmovement across a boundary. Fences are generally distinguished fromwalls by the lightness of their construction and their purpose. A picketfence is generally 36 to 48 inches (91 to 120 cm) tall. A horizontal toprail and bottom rail are attached to a fence post, which is installedupright into the ground. Evenly spaced pickets are affixed vertically tothe rails.

Generally, picket fences have multiple pickets that are wide enough toallow small animals, such as puppies and cats, to pass through thefence. There are products that may be used to prevent this. However, theother products do not mount into or conform to the original design ofthe fence. Further, the products are normally added to the interior orexterior side of the original design and do not match the original fencedesigns very well.

As can be seen, there is a need for a fence attachment that conforms tothe fence and prevents small animals from passing through.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a fence attachment devicecomprising: at least one rail; a plurality of pickets mounted to the atleast one rail, wherein the plurality of pickets are substantiallyperpendicular relative to the rail; and a plurality of attachmentcomponents on the at least one rail and oriented in between theplurality of pickets, wherein the attachment components are configuredto secure the fence attachment device to an existing barrier.

In another aspect of the present invention, a method of preventing smallanimals from passing through a fence comprises: providing a fenceattachment comprising at least one rail; a plurality of pickets mountedto the at least one rail, wherein the plurality of pickets aresubstantially perpendicular relative to the rail; and a plurality ofattachment components on the at least one rail and oriented in betweenthe plurality of pickets, wherein the plurality of attachment componentscomprises an opening in the at least one rail; aligning the fenceattachment with the fence, wherein the plurality of pickets of the fenceattachment are oriented in between a plurality of pickets of the fence;and securing the fence attachment to the fence by screwing a screwthrough the opening in the at least one rail of the fence attachment andscrewing the screw into the plurality of pickets of the fence.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdrawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention in use;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a detailed exploded view of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplatedmodes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. Thedescription is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merelyfor the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention,since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a fenceattachment that may resemble a miniature fence. The fence attachment mayattach to a barrier such as an existing fence, guardrail, or railingssuch as porch, deck or balcony railings. The fence attachment may reducethe space between the pickets of the existing fence. The fenceattachment may include at least one rail and a plurality of picketsattached to the at least one rail. The plurality of pickets of the fenceattachment may be oriented in between the pickets of the existing fenceand the fence attachment may be attached to the existing fence.

The present invention may include a miniature fence, such as a picketfence, that may be added to an existing or ornamental fence. The presentinvention may prevent small animals or children from leaving or enteringa yard. When the fence of the present invention is added to a new orexisting ornamental fencing, the present invention may reduce spacebetween the pickets of the original ornamental fence. The presentinvention may conform to the original ornamental fence designs, whichmay not only prevent animals from leaving or entering the yard, but alsomay add to the aesthetic value of the original fence. The miniaturefence may be added with a few screws for attachment, and may beinstalled in a matter of minutes without the requirement of an abundanceof tools.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, the present invention may include afence attachment, which may resemble a miniature fence. The fenceattachment may include rows of pickets 12 and rails 14. In certainembodiments, the pickets 12 and the rails 14 may be non corrosive powdercoated pickets 12 and rails 14. The pickets 12 may run substantiallyvertical and the rails 14 may run substantially horizontal. Therefore,the pickets 12 are substantially perpendicular relative to the rails 14.The pickets 12 may be mounted to the rails 14 and thereby may besupported by the rails 14. The vertical pickets 12 may be attached tothe horizontal rails using screws 16 in order to maintain the picket 12spacing and to hold the fence attachment section together. The screws 16may be a non corrosive powder coated 8×¾ screw 16.

In certain embodiments, only one rail 14 may be used. However, asillustrated in the Figures, two rails 14 may be used. The plurality ofpickets 12 may be mounted to a first rail 14 and a second rail 14. Theplurality of pickets 12 may be mounted to the first rail 14 near a topof the plurality of pickets 12 and the plurality of pickets 12 may bemounted to the second rail 14 near a bottom of the plurality of pickets.The finished product may include a fence add-on that may be 12×72inches, 18×72 inches, 24×72 inches or any desired size to facilitate thefunction.

The present invention may further include an attachment component thatmay attach the fence attachment to the existing fence 18. The attachmentcomponent may include a plurality of attachment components on the rail12 and may be oriented in between the plurality of pickets 14. Theattachment components may include an opening configured to receive atleast one screw 16. The fence attachment may be mounted to the existingfence 18 by aligning the pickets 12 of the fence attachment in betweenthe pickets of the existing fence 18. Then screws 16 may be screwed intothe openings of the rail 14 and into the pickets of the existing fence18.

In certain embodiments, the present invention may reduce the size of theexisting fence's spacing in between the existing fence's pickets andtherefore preventing a small animal from passing through the spacebetween the existing fence's 18 pickets. The rails 12 may be used tomaintain the spacing between the plurality of pickets 16 and also forthe attachment of the present invention to an existing fence 18 section.The screws 16 may be used to attach the pickets 12 to the rails 14 tohold the present invention together. Also the same screws 16 may be usedto attach the assembled fence attachment to the existing fence 18.

The present invention may be mounted to existing fence by performing thefollowing steps: aligning the fence attachment with the fence, whereinthe plurality of pickets of the fence attachment are oriented in betweena plurality of pickets of the fence; and securing the fence attachmentto the fence by screwing a screw through the opening in the at least onerail of the fence attachment and screwing the screw into the pluralityof pickets of the fence. By doing so, the present invention may preventsmall animals from either leaving or entering a yard and may also beused in a porch or deck railing systems to keep a small animals orchildren restricted to the porch or deck area.

A method of making the present invention may include the following. Thevertical pickets may be laid on a flat working surface. The pickets maybe spaced according to print which may be around 3-¾″ apart. Thehorizontal rails may be laid across the top and bottom of picketsaccording to desired rail spacing. Using the screws, the rails may beattached to the vertical pickets through the pre-drilled holes of therail. The fence attachment may then be fastened to an existing fence.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates toexemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fence attachment device comprising: at least one rail; a plurality of pickets mounted to the at least one rail, wherein the plurality of pickets are substantially perpendicular relative to the rail; and a plurality of attachment components on the at least one rail and oriented in between the plurality of pickets, wherein the attachment components are configured to secure the fence attachment device to an existing barrier.
 2. The fence attachment device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of attachment components comprises an opening in the at least one rail configured to receive at least one screw.
 3. The fence attachment device of claim 1, wherein the existing barrier is selected from the group consisting of a fence, guardrail and railings.
 4. The fence attachment device of claim 1, wherein the at least one rail comprises a first rail and a second rail, wherein the plurality of pickets are mounted to the first rail near a top of the plurality of pickets and the plurality of pickets are mounted to the second rail near a bottom of the plurality of pickets.
 5. The fence attachment device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pickets are mounted to the at least one rail using a plurality of screws.
 6. A method of preventing small animals from passing through a fence comprising: providing a fence attachment comprising at least one rail; a plurality of pickets mounted to the at least one rail, wherein the plurality of pickets are substantially perpendicular relative to the rail; and a plurality of attachment components on the at least one rail and oriented in between the plurality of pickets, wherein the plurality of attachment components comprises an opening in the at least one rail; aligning the fence attachment with the fence, wherein the plurality of pickets of the fence attachment are oriented in between a plurality of pickets of the fence; and securing the fence attachment to the fence by screwing a screw through the opening in the at least one rail of the fence attachment and screwing the screw into the plurality of pickets of the fence. 